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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : July 6, 2014 1:40 PM IST
If you want to lose weight fast, turn your focus on brown fat instead of normal, white fat. According to researchers, brown fat plays an active role in metabolism. 'If we could manipulate the number or activity of these fat cells, we could force our bodies to burn extra calories,' said Evan Rosen, an investigator at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre (BIDMC) in Massachusetts, US. The body contains two types of fat cells - white and brown.
While white fat serves to store excess calories until they are needed by the body, brown adipocytes actually burn fat by turning it into heat. Turned on by cold temperatures and by certain hormones and drugs, brown fat generates heat through the actions of a group of genes collectively termed the thermogenic gene expression programme, the best known of which encodes uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1). UCP1 dissipates, or wastes, energy in the mitochondria of brown fat cells, causing heat generation as a by-product. (Read: 4 sexy and unusual ways to lose weight)
Now, researchers have demonstrated that the transcription factor IRF4 (interferon regulatory factor 4) plays a key role in brown fat's thermogenic process, regulating energy expenditure and cold tolerance. 'With this new discovery of IRF4's key transcriptional role, we can identify new drug targets that directly affect this pathway,' Rosen noted. The findings appeared in the journal Cell. (Read: Can weight training help you lose weight?)
Here are simple tips to get rid of that stubborn bit of fat around your belly:
Eat the right kind of fats
Abs are made in the kitchen. Yeah it's a clich d line but it is true, the belly fat area is the most stubborn fat zone for most men and women. So while you can't keep fat out of your diet since it's healthy, it's better to switch to unsaturated fats. Saturated fat is found in butter, cake, biscuits, fatty cuts of meat, cheese and cream. Unsaturated fats are found in oily fish, nuts and seeds and olive oil. Avoid foods which have added sugar like colas and pastries and instead satiate your sugar craving with fresh fruits.
Don't ditch weight training
We've said this a million times before but people just don't seem to listen. They will keep on doing just cardio thinking it will help them lose weight. Why weight training is so necessary for flat abs is because it helps build lean muscle. When you're lifting weights, muscle tissues are torn apart at the microscopic level from the stress and then rebuild themselves. While this new muscle is being 'created' your body burns calories, thereby facilitating better weight loss. So incorporate some of these into your regime:
All of these are compound movements which will help burn more fat than isolated movements which are better for final sculpting. Read more about 5 tips to burn belly fat
With inputs from IANS
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